Axial guide for transfer pinions and digit drums in counters

ABSTRACT

In a counter including digit drums freely rotatably mounted on a shaft and transfer pinions freely rotatable mounted on a pinion shaft, coupling adjacent digit drums and axially offset relative thereto, the digit drums and transfer pinions are axially positioned by guide webs which extend into circumferential grooves provided in the transfer pinions and between adjacent digit drums coupled thereby. The guide webs may be combined into a single component mounted on or formed by a reset slide or bridge operable for resetting the digit drums.

Unite States tent [191 Krauss AXIAL GUIDE FOR TRANSFER PINIONS AND DIGITDRUMS IN COUNTERS Inventors Hans Gunter Krauss, Vohrum,

Germany Assignee: Elmeg Elektro-Mechanik GmbH,

Peine, Germany Filed: Jan. 22, 1973 Appl. N0.: 325,429

Foreign Application Priority Data Jan. 24, 1972 Germany P 22 03 249.1

U.S. Cl. 235/133, 235/144 Int. Cl. G06c Field of Search 235/1133 R, 144HC, 235/95 R, 139 R, 139 A References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1971Zielke 235/144 HC 8/1942 ,Webb 235/139 R 10/1931 McGowan 235/139 RFOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,048,650 11/1966 Great Britain 235/139297,063 5/1954 Switzerland 235/139 R Primary ExaminerRichard B.Wilkinson Assistant Examiner-Pat Salce Attorney-Ralf H. Siegemund [5 7]ABSTRACT In a counter including digit drums freely rotatably mounted ona shaft and transfer pinions freely rotatable mounted on a pinion shaft,coupling adjacent digit drums and axially offset relative thereto, thedigit drums and transfer pinions are axially positioned by guide webswhich extend into circumferential grooves provided in the transferpinions and between adjacent digit drums coupled thereby. The guide websmay be combined into a single component mounted on or formed by a resetslide or bridge operable for resetting the digit drums.

6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEBum 16. ms 9.766 366 SHEET 10F 2AXIAL GUIDE FOR TRANSFER PINIONS AND DIGIT DRUMS IN COUNTERS The presentinvention concerns improvements relating to counters and particularly toan axial guide for transfer pinions freely supported on a pinion shaftand for digit drums axially offset relative to the transfer pinions andfreely supported on a shaft, in a counter in which the digit drums arecoupled together by the transfer pinions.

The transfer pinions, which serve to notch the digit drums of the nexthigher order forwards one step each time the preceding digit drum hascompleted one revolution, must for this purpose be aligned in the axialdirection with the digit drums. However, the digit drums must also belocated in the axial direction.

For this purpose, in known counters, the counter housing is divided upby a first row of partitions into chambers for the digit drums and by asecond row of partitions into chambers for the transfer pinions. Thepartitions of the two rows are relatively axially offset since thetransfer pinions are axially offset relative to the digit drums. Becauseof this mutual offset of the partitions the housing is of relativelycomplicated shape and can only be produced economically by methods ofinjection moulding of synthetic plastics or casting of metals.Production of the housing from high-grade magnetizable mild steel sheet,as is necessary for many types of counter, is prohibited on the groundof cost and the necessary precision of alignment of the transfer pinionsrelative to the digit drums could only with difficulty be achieved.

The object of the invention therefore is to produce a very simple axialguide which may provide the accurate alignment of the transfer pinionswith the digit drums and which enables a time and labour savingproduction of the components and their assembly into a complete counter.

According to the present invention there is provided' an axial guide fortransfer pinions freely supported on a pinion shaft and for digit drumsaxially offset relative to the transfer pinions and freely supported ona shaft, in a counter in which said digit drums are coupled together bysaid transfer pinions, wherein said transfer pinions are provided atabout their central circumferential zones with a circumferential groove,and webs are provided each of which engages continuously in a saidcircumferential groove of a said pinion and extends continuously betweenadjacent digit drums which are coupled by .said pinion.

A pivotable reset bridge may be provided for the resettingof the digitdrums, and the webs combined into a single component mounted on orformed by the reset bridge. In such a counter additional components forthe axial guidance of the digitdrums and the transfer pinions are saved,andtheir placeis taken by the reset bridge for the digit drums, which isavailable in any case, so that this merely has to be modified; Theassembly is thereby simplified and any adjustments for the alignment ofthe digit drums and transfer pinions are omitted.

Alternatively the webs may be combined into a single component with,mounted on or formed by, a reset slide. Here too special components forthe axial guidance of the digit drums and the transfer pinions areomitted. As also in the case of the fitting of the webs to the resetbridge, the webs and the reset slide or bridge respectively areadvantageously produced in one piece by methods of injection-moulding ofsynthetic plastics.

Embodiments according to the present invention will now be described, byway of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of the basic parts of anembodiment of an axial guide in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic side elevation of the basic parts of a secondembodiment of an axial guide in accordance with the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the embodiment of FIG. 3 after pivoting ofthe reset bridge.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 digit drums l are freely rotatably supportedon a shaft 2 and partitions 3 are provided between the digit drums whichguide or maintain these digit drums 1 on the shaft 2 at a fixedclearance from one another.

Transfer pinions 5 are freely rotatably supported on a pinion shaft 4parallel with the shaft 2, the transfer pinions 5 being offset relativeto the digit drums l. The upper transfer pinion 5 is shown in FIG. 2 ina position in which it is no longer in engagement with the associateddigit drum 1, the lower transfer pinion 5 being shown in its engagingposition.

Each transfer pinion 5 has a central circumferential groove 6 into whichan extension web 7 of a partition 3 extends. Because of this cooperationbetween the circumferential grooves 6 and the webs 7, the transferpinions 5 are guided and located in the axial direction of the pinionshaft 4 by the webs 7, so that they lie constantly in the correct axialposition relative to the digit drums 1.

Since-it is immaterial as to whether the partitions 3 are provided onthe counter housingor otherwise, the mounting of the partitions 3 is notshown in FIGS. 1 and 2. However, the partitions 3 need not embrace theshaft 2 and the partitions with the extension webs may form a singlecomponent with, or be mounted on, for example, a reset slide forresetting the digit drums.

plan view of the parts shown In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4the transfer pinions 5 and the pinion shaft 4 are supported on apivoting reset bridge 8 which, for example, maycarry reset fingers whichact on heart-shaped cams provided on the digit drums to reset the digitdrums. This reset bridge is movable around a shaft 11 mounted in thehousing, by a reset slide 10 connected to the bridge at In thisembodiment the webs 7 cooperating with the grooves 6 in the transferpinions 5 form part of or form a single component with the reset bridgewhich is not shown in detail. Because of the curvilinear form of thewebs 7, they cooperate with the circumferential grooves 6 in all phasesof the angular movement of the reset bridge, the cooperation beingindependent of the movement of the transfer pinions into and out ofengagement with the digit drums, and also extend between adjacent digitdrums 1 throughout all phases of operation of the counter, so that thetransfer pinions 5 are at all times in an axial position on their pinionshaft 4 corresponding to that of the associated digit drums 1.

The webs 7 and reset bridge 8 of this embodiment can be produced withoutparticular difficulty in one piece, which provides a particularadvantage in the technique of production.

I claim:

1. An axial guide for transfer pinions freely supported on a pinionshaft and for digit drums axially offset relative to the transferpinions and freely supported on a shaft, in a counter in which saiddigit drums are coupled together by said transfer pinions, wherein saidtransfer pinions are provided at about their central circumferentialzones with a circumferential groove, and

4. In a counter including digit drums freely rotatable on a shaft andtransfer pinions for coupling the digit drums, freely rotatable on apinion shaft and axially offset relative to the digit drums,'theimprovement comprising means for axially guiding the digit drums andpinion shafts wherein the transfer pinions are provided with a centralcircumferential groove and guide means are provided each extending intosaid circumferential of a said transfer pinion and between adjacentdigit drums coupled by the said pinion.

5. The counter of claim 4 including a reset bridge for resetting saiddigit drums, said reset bridge being pivotally mounted and carrying saidguide'means in the form of webs.

6. The counter of claim 4 including a reset slide, wherein said guidemeans in the form of webs are integral with said reset slide.

1. An axial guide for transfer pinions freely supported on a pinionshaft and for digit drums axially offset relative to the transferpinions and freely supported on a shaft, in a counter in which saiddigit drums are couplEd together by said transfer pinions, wherein saidtransfer pinions are provided at about their central circumferentialzones with a circumferential groove, and webs are provided each of whichengages continuously in a said circumferential groove of a said pinionand extends continuously between adjacent digit drums which are coupledby said pinion.
 2. An axial guide as claimed in claim 1 with a pivotablereset bridge for resetting said digit drums, wherein said webs aremounted on said reset bridge.
 3. An axial guide as claimed in claim 1,wherein said webs are combined into a single component with a resetslide.
 4. In a counter including digit drums freely rotatable on a shaftand transfer pinions for coupling the digit drums, freely rotatable on apinion shaft and axially offset relative to the digit drums, theimprovement comprising means for axially guiding the digit drums andpinion shafts wherein the transfer pinions are provided with a centralcircumferential groove and guide means are provided each extending intosaid circumferential of a said transfer pinion and between adjacentdigit drums coupled by the said pinion.
 5. The counter of claim 4including a reset bridge for resetting said digit drums, said resetbridge being pivotally mounted and carrying said guide means in the formof webs.
 6. The counter of claim 4 including a reset slide, wherein saidguide means in the form of webs are integral with said reset slide.